Date: Fri 10-Apr-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Rosenthal-100-days

Full Text:

After First 100 Days, Rosenthal Is Upbeat Newtown's Progress

BY STEVE BIGHAM

During the local election campaign late last year, First Selectman Herb

Rosenthal was vocal about his distrust for state government. He claimed

Hartford had a history of reneging on agreements and feared it would do the

same when it came to the future of Fairfield Hills.

At the time, his opponent Russ Melita feared this confrontational approach

would hurt the town's chances of having any say in the future of the former

state mental institution. But as it turns out, Richard Nuclo of the state's

Office of Policy & Management (OPM) has stood by his word and will allow

Newtown to be an "equal partner" in the decision-making process.

"We've had good relations. I think part of it was they knew my position," Mr

Rosenthal said. "They've been very cooperative and have gone out of their way

to say they are willing to work with Newtown. That's not to say they wouldn't

have if I hadn't said anything, but we are now an equal partner. (State

Representative) Julia Wasserman's work has also helped the town's cause."

The Arthur Andersen report on the best possible use for the site is due out

later this month. Mr Rosenthal said he has heard some recommendations for the

Fairfield Hills campus, but he declined to say what they were. "There's

nothing controversial," he said.

A public hearing will be scheduled soon after the report is released to the

public.

The Planning and Zoning Commission is considering re-zoning Fairfield Hills.

Such a re-zoning of the land would take effect if the property is purchased by

a private party. If the state keeps it, the land is not subject to zoning

regulations.

It has been more than 100 days since Mr Rosenthal took office as first

selectman and during a recent interview with The Newtown Bee , he talked about

the progress his administration has made in the short time.

"All in all, I feel good about the way things are going," he said Monday, just

minutes after taking another call from concerned residents over the growing

beaver population in town.

Public Works & Land Use

Mr Rosenthal has worked hard to come through on his campaign pledges and many

are starting to come to fruition. Take, for example, the in-depth public works

study, which is currently in its final weeks. Mr Rosenthal has heard countless

complaints over the poor condition of the town's roads, and he is hoping this

study, through the field service program of the Connecticut Conference of

Municipalities (CCM), will help improve the department's management, cost

effectiveness and its handling of road improvements.

The first selectman also promised to make changes in the town's land-use

department. He vowed to provide the land-use commissions with more tools as

the town continues to grow. The P&Z has been a focal point during the early

months of the administration and the land-use department has been

restructured.

"That was my intent," Mr Rosenthal said last month. "I just felt that this was

an area of government that needed better coordination, more support and more

funds."

Last month, the Board of Selectmen formed a seven-member task force to assist

the P&Z in its efforts to regulate development. The group will work under the

direction of the P&Z to take a close look at the town's plan of development

and its zoning regulations.

In December, Mr Rosenthal and selectman Joe Bojnowski voted to appoint

Democrat Lilla Dean as an alternate to the P&Z Commission over Republican Tom

Paisley. Republicans urged the selectman to choose the "more experienced" Mr

Paisley.

In January, Mr Rosenthal announced that Elizabeth Stocker, community

development director, would be devoting more of her time to land-use planning.

In March, the Board of Selectmen hired Mr Fuller as land-use attorney.

Since Mr Rosenthal took office in December, Conservation Officer Chris

Majewski, Zoning Enforcement Officer Bill Nicholson and land-use clerk Kathy

Reymers have all resigned. In response, the first selectman has brought back

Rita MacMillan to head the land-use department.

Municipal Space Needs

The town's lease with the state at Fairfield Hills runs out in less than ten

months and Mr Rosenthal is the man responsible for finding a new home for the

town employees currently housed at Canaan House.

The town has accepted a handful of proposals from firms for a complete

architectural study of the town's municipal space needs.

The Legislative Council recently voted to transfer $62,000 to be used to

repair the roof at Town Hall South using a rubber membrane.

Town Attorney

It looks like Mr Rosenthal will be staying with David Grogins and the Cohen &

Wolfe law firm of Danbury as town attorney for the time being. The law firm,

which was also used by Zita McMahon and Bob Cascella, receives a $5,000 per

month retainer fee. In return, the town receives unlimited legal advice for

the general operation of the town. The figure does not include litigation

work.

"I talk to Dave Grogins several times a week, and he is also used by the

finance director, town clerk, tax assessor and others," Mr Rosenthal said. "I

would say he receives a call from the town on a daily basis."

Extra legal expenses were added to this year's town budget, prompting the

Legislative Council to look into the issue.

Mr Rosenthal recently hired attorney Robert Fuller to handle all of Newtown's

land-use issues. He is being retained on a $1,000 per month retainer.

Drainage Problems

Every spring, Newtown's private communities in Sandy Hook endure drainage

problems, and the first selectman is usually the first to hear about them.

The roads were not built by the town. They are mostly former dirt trails with

no drainage system. When it rains, the water simply runs off onto people's

properties. Mr Rosenthal, like every first selectman before him, is now

receiving the calls from concerned residents, many of whom do not know the

status of their roads.

"What do you mean they're private roads?" they say.

This is a tough problem to solve, Mr Rosenthal said, the town does not own

these roads, so we can't do much work on them. It would simply be too costly

to take the roads into the town's road system. Most of the roads are far too

narrow to be considered legal thoroughfares and in order to have them widened,

portions of people's properties would have to be eaten up.

Mr Rosenthal said he still plans to hire a third person in his office to

assist his staff, which includes Jan Andras and Carole Ross.